Love Child
by Shadow Shamira
Summary: Goren discovers he has a daughter, only to find she is in trouble. Will he find her in time to save her life?
1. Chapter 1

Hey, Shadow Shamira here. This story is technically not my story, a friend wrote it and I got permission to post it on FanFiction. If you would review, it would be great. Any reviews this story gets will be passed on to my friend. Anything written before the story (like this) is my input and anything after is my friends. Enjoy and review!

"Love child"

Disclaimer: I do no own any of the Law and Order characters listed. NBC does. So get used to it. I don't own the general lee either. The guys who own the dukes of hazzard do. I love it when older guys are called Bobby… In that non-perverted way.

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Chapter 1

Erica pulled her '69 Dodge Charger- the General Lee- into the garage. Another long day at school was over with. She got out and grabbed her backpack from the back seat. As she walked to the door leading into the house, she noticed a spider on the wall next to it. She put her thumb on it, and killed it, wiping it from existence. She took off her backpack and shoes in the foyer, and started to run upstairs to change out of her uncomfortable uniform. After all, it was the last day of school before Christmas Vacation. Then she noticed that something wasn't right in her mom's bedroom. It was kind of messed up. Her mom was too much of a neat freak for something to be out of place. Erica prided herself on these kinds of observations, because her mom always said that she came by her "Detective instincts" naturally. The father she never met was a detective. Oh, he was still alive, but no one knew where. Erica came about from a one night stand 17 years ago.

She thought about this fact as she walked into her mothers room. What she saw when she got there stopped her heart cold.

Her mother was lying on her big 4-poster bed in a pool of blood.

"Mom?" she asked in a nervous voice. She reached out to her mom's left hand. It was the only thing _not_ coated in blood. No pulse.

"MOM!? OH GOD NO!!!!!" she screamed. She ran to the kitchen phone and dialed 911.

"Hello, 911, what is your emergency?" the operator said on the other end.

"M-my mom's been m-murdered! Send the police, anyone, just please help me!!!!!!!!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Detectives Bob Goren and Alexandra Eames had just arrived, and were taking a look around the crime scene.

"You said you knew this woman?" Detective Eames asked Goren.

"Yeah, once, a long time ago, we had a one night stand. But, that was a long time ago, and it's over now." he answered nervously.

"Fine, I'm done saying anything about it."

"She has slash wounds on her arm and legs, and a stab wound in her heart. Her killer obviously wanted her to suffer for a while." Goren stated.

"But why just one arm?"

"Because this arm was tied to the bed with something. He removed it, and made it look like she committed suicide. But not very well."

Goren walked over to Erica. She was sitting on the one part of the couch not covered in medical equipment and supplies. She was a very cute girl. Kind of tall, and thin. She had shoulder length golden hair, pulled back in spiky pigtails, brown eyes, and purple glasses. The Detective had never seen her in his life, yet there was something oddly familiar about her… he just couldn't figure out why.

"Hello, would you mind answering a few questions?" He asked her kindly.

"Sure. Why not." She said hopelessly.

"Ok, first question, Name and age."

"Erica Goren, sixteen"

His heart skipped a beat.

"Uhh, Birthday?"

"September twenty-third."

He did the math in his head. September plus 9 months would equal… sometime around New Years Eve.

The night that one-night stand had occurred. He realized why she looked so familiar now… she was his daughter.

"Uhh, Mr. Detective, are you alright?" Erica broke him out of his trance.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I didn't get much sleep last night."

As he was interrogating her, his mind went to war with itself.

_What is going on with you today?! How can you be sure she really is your daughter?_

_Well, she does rather look like me, a bit…_

_So? _

_Well, that's definitely a sign!_

_And?_

Yeah, go ahead and say it, I'M ADDICTED TO LAW AND ORDER!!!!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Erica couldn't sleep at all that night. Not only was she shocked and grieved by her mothers murder, she couldn't get the image of that detective out of her head. He had the same last name as her, and he did look kind of… familiar, almost. He was tall, like her, and had the same glittering brown eyes. His hair was curly, like Erica's was when it was wet or humid. She thought about this at length.

Bobby didn't have much luck either. His thoughts kept going back to his newfound love child. Why hadn't he been notified? Well, ok, he didn't leave any contact information, so that was a good explanation. But some of his friends were at the party, and she knew those friends as well. Why didn't she just tell them to tell him?

Erica replayed the memory as if it was yesterday. Her mother was standing in front of Erica in her wedding gown.

"Erica, dear, I have to ask you a very important question, listen closely."

6-year-old Erica nodded her head and listened intently.

"Ok, Erica, do you want to keep your daddy's last name, or do you want to change it to mommy's new name?"

Erica thought about this for a minute. She had already learned how to spell 'Goren', and she wasn't entirely sure on how to spell 'DiMarco' yet.

"I want to keep my daddy's name. I want to be unik- younie-" she stumbled over the word.

"Unique?" her mother asked.

"Yeah, Unique"

Erica's mind shut off the memory. She finally fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: I have transcribed this story exactly as I received it… except where I had to change it due to editing or losing a word in the transaction.

Chapter 4

"Hey, coffee." Eames tapped Bobby's head. He raised it from the desk where he had been half-napping, half-thinking.

"Oh, thank-you." He said sleepily.

"You look like hell. What happened?"

"I didn't feel good last night, and didn't get much sleep." It was sort of the truth, right? He took a sip of the warm, caffineated liquid. It made him feel a bit better.

Eames spotted the file on Erica on Bobby's desk.

"Oh, hey, you got a suspect file." She grabbed it off the desk.

"Umm, Alex-" he was interrupted by her as he reached up to grab it.

"What, you got a crush on her, and don't want me to read the file?" She smiled mischievously and turned out of reach. She started reading some of the quick facts to Bobby out loud.

"Name: Erica Petronilla Goren. Birthday: September 23, 1989. Mother: Daisy LeighAnne Johnson DiMarco. Father: Robert… Alan… Goren?" Alex looked at him with the utmost astonishment. She tried to form words, but none would come.

"Hey, I just found out yesterday!" He said defensively.

"I guess your one night stand was a lot more fruitful than you thought… What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. I guess I have to tell her sooner or later. It might as well be sooner."

"Well, you can't tell her looking like that, go take a nap upstairs."

"But…"

"C'mon, get your workaholic booty up there!" Alex shooed him away with her hand, and got on the computer to look something up.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Erica removed her sweaty clothes, and got in the shower. She had just come from Karate class. She loved it. It had taken her 8 years to do it, but she was now an accomplished black belt.

After about a half-hour, she got out of the shower and changed clothes. She had just settled down on the couch when the phone rang. She ran and grabbed the cordless receiver off the dock in the kitchen.

"Hello?" she said quietly into the phone.

"Hey, Erica, this is Detective Goren, do you think we could come and take another look at the crime scene?"

"I guess. I'm the only one home, but you can come if you want…"

"Ok, we should be over in a bit. See you then."

"Yeah, likewise…" She hung up the phone. She didn't feel like being too social today. At least Karate had taken her mind of part of the sadness. She had fought like never before today, all of the grief and anger had come out in her powerful kicks and punches.

A little while later, the doorbell rang. Erica roused from her light nap and

answered the door.

"Oh, hi guys. Come on in…" She said to the detectives. She then proceeded to lead them back to her mom's bedroom. They looked around some, and then Detective Goran came over to her.

"You know, you're thin and cute, like your mom, but you have your dad's eyes."

"Did you know my father?"

"Yes, actually I did, he was a very nice man. Great detective. You look a lot like him, actually, but a better-looking version."

"Um, ok…" this was kind of making her uncomfortable. But she knew what was going on, and was deciding when to strike.

"He was on this police force for a while. Everyone loved him. Did you ever meet him?"

"No, but before you ask anymore questions, I know what you're trying to say. You're my daddy, aren't you?" She didn't want this to go on forever.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Well, for starters, we have the same last name, and we do look a lot alike. And you looked a little startled when I told you my age, given that that's when you and my mom hooked up…"

"How much did your mom tell you?"

"Almost nothing. I got 'He's a detective' and 'his last name is the same as yours' out of her. Not even any of my relatives would tell me anything. And do you know how many 'Detective Gorens' there are in the world? Quite a few…"

"You tried to Google me?"

"Not tried, did. But no luck whatsoever. You didn't come here to look at the crime scene did you?"

"I see you've also inherited your fathers power of observation."

"I've always wanted to be a detective. It was, and still is, my dream. So, does Ms. Eames know about this?"

"Yeah, that was an… interesting journey." And they went on like this for a while, Eames included. They just shot the breeze for a bit, then the conversation turned to her step-dad.

"Yeah, he was in Canada a week ago. He goes there a lot. He says it's because he has a branch of his firm up there, which he does, but no one goes to a certain branch _that _much. I'm almost certain he's having an affair."

Enzo DiMarco was an Italian man who moved to America with one dollar in his pocket, and the clothes on his back. He found an entry-level job at a major marketing firm. His father had been a small businessman back in Italy, so he knew a thing or two about marketing. Eventually he became C.E.O of said firm, and was now making millions.

"Really… That could be motive… Erica? Were your parents getting along?" Bobby said.

"Not nearly as well as they used to. Actually, lately, my parents have taken petty arguments to full-out wars. I even think my mom threw something at him once."

"Well, what do you do when they start fighting?" Eames asked.

"I usually just take off and drive around for awhile. I love my car, it always makes me feel better. Then I'll go visit my boyfriend."

"So do you think your step-dad could have done it?"

"I don't know. I really don't. I didn't pay much attention to the beginnings of their fights, and then I took off, so I don't even know what they fought about."

"How did he act towards you?"

"Like most filthy-rich step dads. He would buy me expensive things, and take us all on vacation, but he was never really there for the day-to-day., ya know?"

"Yeah… I do…" Bobby said in a far off voice.

"I never really got to talk to him. That was a big deal when I was younger, but I don't care so much now."

Just then the phone rang. Erica picked it up off the table next to her and answered it.

"Hello?" she said. The voice on the other end sounded somewhat hostile. After a few seconds, Erica got pale, then she hung up and swallowed.

"So, w-what were we t-talking about?"

"Erica, you're pale, who was that and what did they say?" Bobby was getting worried now.

"It was…" She didn't know how to say it. She hesitated, then began,

"Well, it was my ex-boyfriend. I broke up with him a couple of months ago, and now he's not very happy. You see, he was starting to show signs of being abusive, but I went along with it and acted like nothing was wrong. Then came the day that he hit me. We were fighting, and he slapped me. I was in front of the door, so I tricked him into switching places with me, opened the door and Karate kicked him out it. Then I told him to never, ever come to my house again. Since then, he's been threatening me. Nothing's happened yet, but he sounded dead serious this time." She looked around nervously, like someone might be watching her.

"What is this boy's name, where does he live, and can I kill him?" Bobby was quite angry by this time.

"Sit down. We investigate murders, not commit them." Eames was obviously trying to calm him down.

"His name is Derek Dupree, and he lives… I can't remember where he lives, now that I think about it. You should investigate him more than my step-dad, he is more likely to do something like that."

"I think we will. We should be going anyway. Feel free to come down to the station if you find any evidence, or anything." Bobby said.

"I will. See you guys. Please figure out this case. I just want closure… Anyway, bye." She looked over at her dad.

"Bye, daddy"

Bobby felt all warm and fuzzy inside now. He could get used to this love child situation


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Later that night, Erica was on her computer. All of a sudden, the screen went black. She checked the plug. No, it was still plugged in. She tried to restart it. Nothing happened. By this time, she was quite frustrated. She tried everything she could think of, and nothing helped. She went downstairs, picked up the phone and dialed her boyfriend's home number.

"Hello?" James asked in his heavy British accent.

"Hey, baby, this is Erica. I'm having some technical difficulties with my computer, and I was wondering if you could help me."

"Of course, honey! What's wrong with it?"

"Well, I was chatting with one of my friends, and the screen all of a sudden went black. I don't know what happened, and now I'm mad."  
"Did you check the plug?"

"I checked every nook and cranny on the dumb thing, and I couldn't find anything."

"That's odd. Would you mind if I came and took a quick look-see?"

"Not at all. Maybe you can fix it."

"I'll be over in a few seconds. See you then, love!"

"Seeya then." They both hung up. Erica's new boyfriend was much nicer than Derek. James Farthington had moved here from Great Britain in his sophomore year. He was quite tall, with dark blue eyes, spiky brown hair, and slight stubble. He was also a technology expert. He had all the mannerisms, and politeness of a true Englishman. He was always holding the door open for people, and always pulled out Erica's chair for her.

Just like he promised, he was there within a few minutes. Erica and James were almost neighbors. There were two houses in between theirs, so they saw each other quite a bit. One of them was constantly at the other's house. Erica rushed over to greet him with a kiss on the cheek and a hug. She showed him the computer.

"Aah, so here's the little bugger." He looked at it intently. He pressed the power-switch, and it turned right on, as if nothing was wrong.

"There's the problem. It was just overheated. All you have to do if this happens again is wait about ten minutes, turn it on, and Bob's your uncle!"

Erica looked at him puzzlingly.

"Nooo… Bob's my dad…" She looked utterly confused.

"No! That's just an old British expression meaning 'There you go!' or 'Viola!'" he said with a laugh. Then it dawned on him.

"Wait, I thought Enzo was your father…"

"No, he's just my step-dad. My real father is named Robert. Or Bobby."

"Wait. I thought you didn't know your father."

"Well, I didn't. But I met him a day ago. Purely on accident. It's a rather long, confusing story."

"I understand. So how are you coping with your mom… you know…"

"Dieing? Well, I haven't been the most social person lately, and I'm not the easiest person to get along with right now. I just want to curl up in a little ball and hide for a few years. Or decades…" Erica's voice started to waver, then she burst into tears. James reached over and gave her a hug and held her there until she felt better.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Bobby and Alex stood in the restaurant that Derek's parents owned, and that he worked at. The ground floor was the restaurant, and the upstairs was their house. The restaurant was well decorated, and very homey. They spotted Derek bussing a table in the right corner. They walked over to him.

"Hello, are you Derek? I'm Detective Eames, and this is Detective Goren. We wish to speak with you."

"I am." He observed the large man and woman standing in front of him.

"So, what do want to talk to me about?"

"Do you know this girl?" Bobby showed him the picture of Erica that she had given him.

"Nope. Never seen her in my life," he said with a straight face.

"Liar!" Bobby said. He started to say something else, but Eames cleared her throat threateningly.

"I mean, uh, are you sure? Because we just talked to her and she told us that you used to date."

"Well, she must have me confused with someone else, cause I've never seen her. Ya'll better check your facts."

"C'mon, Derek, she said she knew you, stop trying to deny it, because it isn't working." Alex, forever the voice of reason, chimed in.

"Look, I ain't denying it! I'm telling the truth. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work." Derek said with a menacing look in his eyes. He turned back to the table he was cleaning before they came in. Alex and Bobby walked away.

"I don't blame her for kicking him. I would have done the same thing, he's a real punk." Alex said.

"This isn't going to be easy. We have to find something we can pin on him to bring him in for questioning. But what?" Bobby stated.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The day of her mother's funeral dawned cold and cloudy. Erica stared at the calendar. December 23, only a few days before Christmas. She didn't know if she could handle Christmas without her mom. It was always their tradition to set up the Christmas tree on this day. Probably because it was her mom's birthday. They would get up early, (unless Erica had school, then they would do it after that) and they would go down to the basement and drag everything up the stairs to the living room. Then they would spend the next two hours decorating the whole house with stuff.

_Mom, I wish you could be here. And I wish you would tell me who killed you, _she thought to herself. The tears started to come sliding down, but she stopped them quickly.

_I don't want my Mascara to run (yet) and I have to leave right about now. So, I can't cry yet._

When she got to the burial site, it had already started to snow. She usually loved snow, but today she didn't feel any other emotions besides sadness. She was about halfway there when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around, and was startled to see her father standing there.

"I wasn't expecting you to be here, since it was so long since you met my mom."

"I'm not here for your mom, I'm here because you're here. I'm your dad, it's my job."

Erica was quite moved by this statement, since she had never really had a good father figure. All she could do was hug him. When she let go, there were many long black streaks running down her face. Bobby pulled a (clean) tissue out of his coat pocket and gave it to her.

"You're not supposed to wear mascara to a funeral, you know," he said, trying to lighten the mood. Erica giggled in spite of herself.

"Thanks. I guess I'm not up on the whole funeral scene."

"That's ok, I'm not that up on it either. C'mon, let's go, they're starting."

After the first few speakers, it was Erica's turn. She stood up, and took a deep breath.

"My mom was a wonderful person. She was caring, and loving, even when she was fried to the bone at work. She attended every recital and show I was ever in, and worked two jobs before she married my Step-dad." She scanned the area for him, like she had done since he had been her new dad. But he never came. He was there a few times, but mostly, he was at work. Just like now. He was so busy that he couldn't even come to his wife's funeral. He was probably with a woman, either in his office, or in Canada. He never even came home anymore. Erica couldn't keep track of him. He could be in prison for all she knew. She hesitated, almost ready to cry. Then she caught sight of James and Bobby in the back of the chairs that were set up near the grave. They were standing, and smiling. This gave her an extra burst of stamina to keep speaking. She continued,

"She had tried her hardest to give me the best, even when that was impossible. She was always telling me that I could be whatever I wanted when I grew up." Her voice was wavering by this time.

She was the best mom anyone could ever have, and she didn't deserve this. I loved her, and I always will!" She started crying and quickly walked back to where James and her dad were standing. When she got there, they both hugged her, and told her what a great job she did. All she could do was collapse into James' shoulder and sob. He patted her head and they both reassured her that the world would be ok.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

When she got home, she went upstairs to change. When she was sitting on the couch watching TV to numb her mind, she noticed something under the door. It looked like… paper? She got up and pulled it out from it's hiding spot, opened it, and read the note. When she read it, she couldn't believe her eyes, so she read it again.

_I murdered your mom, and now I'm after you. Watch your back, because I am already._

Even though it was handwritten, she could tell that the writer was disguising their handwriting. She then became very, very afraid. Her heart started pumping and she got icy cold. After a few seconds, she had calmed down enough to think.

_I should call my dad, he would know what to do._

She picked up the phone and dialed her dad's cell. It rang twice and then he answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, daddy? I need your help." She tried to sound calm, but it wasn't working.

"Are you ok? What's wrong?!"

"I just found a very troubling note under my door. I'm still quite upset."

"I see. What did it say?"

"It said 'I murdered your mom, and now I'm after you. Watch your back, because I am already.' It's really freaking me out, and I'm not sure what I should do. Any suggestions?"

"Yeah. Tonight you're staying at my place. If they want to get to you, they have to go through me. And that's no easy task."

"Are you sure you want me to come? I don't want to be trouble."

"Yes! All across this country daughters are staying in their dad's houses. Why should you be any different? Besides, you live alone right now, and two people in the house is better than one."

"I see your point. When should I be there?"

Later that night, she loaded her overnight backpack up with stuff, and climbed into her car. She turned up the radio and sang along.

"Drive all night! Never gonna get me! Night by night, to get away from it all! Fight, fight, fight! All you wanna do is hurt me! You wrecked my life, so I'm gonna have to drive all night!" Just then she noticed a nice black mustang following her. She thought nothing of it, until a few blocks later, when it still seemed to be following her. The note came back to her mind.

_Watch your back, because I already am._

She tried to push it back far into the depths of her mind, but it still persisted. By the time she arrived at Bobby's house, the car was gone. At least, that's what she thought.

She walked up to the door, and rang the door bell. The door opened to reveal Bobby standing there, smiling at her.

"Hi, honey! Come in, come in."

"Hey, dad! Thanks for letting me stay here." She said as she gave him a hug.

After they had eaten, Bobby asked her if she had seen anything unusual on the way here. She promptly replied that she had.

"Yeah, I saw a black mustang following me. I don't know if it was really following me or not, but it was behind me for quite awhile."

"What year?"

"Uh, '65, I think."

"I'll keep am eye out the window to see if it turns up again."

Erica smiled at him.

"Thanks."

For the next couple of hours, they sat on the couch and talked. They spoke about everything, and they watched the news. At about 10:00, Bobby noticed that there had been a long pause in their conversation. He looked over at Erica, only to find her peacefully sleeping. A thin bar of moonlight was streaked across her forehead and one of her pigtails.

_A halo for an angel,_ he couldn't help but think that. This sixteen-year-old girl had turned out to be the best thing that had ever happened to him, even though he had just found out about her. He knew that she was his angel in a world of devils and murderers. He reached down and lightly pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, and kissed her on the cheek. Then he grabbed a blanket from beside the couch, put it over her, and went to bed.

The man got out of his black mustang at about midnight. He had been watching this house for a while, and now it was time to go through with his orders. He wasn't very old, he seemed to be about nineteen. He had blonde hair, green eyes, and a cold smile, just like his twin brother, and all of it was covered up by a ski mask. He realized that he had to be very careful kidnapping the gorgeous girl from this house, as her dad was quite large, and could probably kill him. As he made his way to the back of the house, he went over his escape plan one more time.

_Grab the girl, get to the car, and take the least direct route you can think of. You can do this, Dan, you can do this._ He approached the living room window and peered inside. This should be cake, he thought, because the couch Erica was asleep on was right next to the window. He hunted for a large rock, and when he found one, aimed for the large picture window, and threw it. The window shattered into millions of tiny pieces, and covered the ground outside, as well as the living room floor. Erica screamed and sat up quickly. She turned towards the window, just in time to see the man in the ski mask grab her tightly. She tried to do some Karate moves, but he was holding her too tight. And he had pulled a gun on her. Bobby ran out to the living room, and the man promptly pointed his gun at him.

"Don't move or…" He thought this over in his head, and pointed it at Erica instead. It would be more effective.

"…She gets it!" he said coldly, putting emphasis on the she. Erica looked at Bobby, terror showing in every inch of her eyes.

Just then Bobby remembered his gun on the kitchen counter. He slowly inched back towards it, but just as he started moving, the man jumped out the window and ran to his car, carrying Erica over his back like a sack of potatoes. He wrenched open the trunk, and threw her inside. As she landed, her head hit the spare tire, and she blacked out.

Bobby ran to the front porch, only to see the faint glow of the mustang's tri-bar taillights in the distance.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Erica awoke to find both her hands handcuffed to a closet bar, In what looked to be a large closet, obviously. She wished she could see her watch, because she wanted to know what time it was. Apparently, the kidnappers were either too dumb to put a blindfold on her, or didn't feel she needed one. But evidently she needed a gag of duct tape. Her detective mind went to work. She observed every possible opening, and escape route. But she still didn't know how to get out of the handcuffs. She looked up at them. Her handcuffs were chained to the closet bar very tightly, with a thick chain. There was no possible way to get out of it.

_Unless… _She didn't have time to finish her thought. Her captor came in with another man trailing behind him. It was quite dark, so she couldn't recognize the second man. The kidnapper came over and removed the duct tape. Just then the second man stepped out of the shadows. There was no mistaking the hatred and the anger in his emerald green eyes. Her suspicions were confirmed, Derek Dupree was behind all of this.

"Hello, Erica. I hope you're comfortable."

Erica looked straight into him, but did not say anything.

"Oh, cat got your tongue?" He reached out and grabbed the sides of her face with his hand.

"C'mon, don't I at least get a hello? We used to date, if you remember."

"Used to," she replied angrily.

"Ahhh! So she speaks. Now that we've got you talking, maybe you can answer a few questions for us, hmm? First question, Why did you dump me?" He looked at her with a look that could pop a soccer ball.

"Was I not good enough for you? Was I not rich enough?"

Erica didn't utter a sound.

"ANSWER ME!" he roared in her face.

"You hit me. That's why I dumped you. Guys don't hit girls. Ever."

"So that's what this is about, eh? Just from a petty slap on the cheek?"

"Derek, you gave me a bruise! You're also a moron and a freak! Let me go, now!"

"How would you like another one?!" He said threateningly, close to her ear.

"Bring it on, Blondie." She said unwaveringly as she stared menacingly into his green eyes.

"And what makes you think you can win?"

"The fact that I kicked your ass once, and I can and will do it again."

"Fine then. I guess we'll just have to see who wins. Dan, uncuff her."

The other guy removed her handcuffs and stood back a ways.

"On three, we fight." Derek said. He got to one, and Erica lunged at him. They were in a full out battle now. He tried to punch her in the stomach, but she blocked it. She counterattacked with a well-aimed kick, but it was blocked as well. They fought their way over to the door, which Derek and Dan ran out of, closed it in her face, then locked it. Erica was too tough to give in now, though. She rammed her shoulder against the door several times.

_This isn't working. I need another approach. Wait, I got it! _

Bobby looked at all the files on the computer desperately searching for answers. Where was his sweet angel? Was she ok? Was she even alive? Then he found what he was looking for. A 1965 Black Mustang GT owned by a Dan Dupree. The picture of Dan looked exactly like the Derek Bobby had met earlier that week. He showed it to Alex, and they got a small search party together. They had all the info they needed, now they just needed to find the car.

Erica stepped back and Karate kicked the door. Nothing Happened.

_What in the world?_ She was about to do it again, when the door opened, and Derek ran in. Before she knew what had happened, Erica was pinned to the ground, a knife pointed at her heart.

"Now who's kicking who? If you try ANYTHING, I will stab you so fast, you won't even be able to scream."

Erica could only squeak out a small whisper of a scream at that point.

"You know, I murdered your mom, because I wanted to get back at you. I was planning on getting just you, but I decided this would be more fun. Your mom was worthless. A pitiful speck on the face of the earth. She couldn't even keep her husband to herself."

"Shut-up! That's not true! She was worth more than you will ever be!!!" Erica screamed at him.

"No, YOU shut-up!" Derek said, as he dragged the knife cross her arm hard enough to draw blood. It was just a minor cut, but it seemed like a fatal wound to her.

"And this Goren character, the police-detective guy, he's your dad, isn't he?"

Erica didn't say a word.

"ISN'T HE?!" Derek roared.

"Yes! Yes, he is!! Don't hurt me again!!"

"Yeah, some cop he is. If he was a real detective, he would have found you already. He's just as worthless as your mother. He probably doesn't even care that I have you!"

"NO!! That's not true, either! You don't know what you're talking about" Erica just then had an instant boost of adrenaline, and flung Derek to the back of the closet. She ran out the door into the closed restaurant. She had the knife in her hand. Derek soon followed. He dove for her feet, and she went down. She wrestled herself free, and stood up. She jumped onto the table behind her. Derek aimed a punch at her head, and she flipped back off it using a move she learned in Karate. The knife went flying towards his head, but he ducked, much to Erica's disappointment. They got into a heated fight, Erica kicking this way, and Derek punching that way. By this time both of them were dirty and bloody. Erica was slowly fighting him towards the wall, she had a plan. They got nearer and nearer to the wall, and they were so involved that they didn't hear the police come in. Erica then punched him hard in the face, just enough to subdue him. Then she did a high kick, pinning his neck to the wall with her foot. She stared into his eyes. A look of pure terror came over his eyes, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at something just above her head. The barrel of Bobby Goren's pistol.

"Derek Dupree, you are under arrest!" Bobby told him with the scariest voice Erica had ever heard. Erica unpinned him from the wall, and some officers cuffed him and took him away. All traces of the adrenaline rush she had vanished from her body, and she passed out into Bobby's arms. He carried her light figure over to the paramedics, who bandaged her, and dismissed her as free to go as soon as she woke up. Alex appeared at Bobby's side.

"She has her dad's spirit in her, that much is obvious. I wonder if she could teach me to do that. Anyway, I hope she'll be ok. What did the paramedic say?"  
"He said she'll be just fine when she wakes up." Just then Erica stirred. She opened her eyes and looked around frantically. She then spotted Bobby sitting on the edge of the ambulance, and started to get out of the little bed. Bobby heard this and rushed over to hug her. He engulfed her in a huge bear hug, leaving only her appendages and lower body sticking out. She looked like a tiny doll in his arms.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so glad you're ok."

"It was so scary! Daddy! It was so scary!" She said between sobs.

"It's ok. Don't worry, that boy will be in prison for a _very_ long time. He won't be able to get near you ever again. I'll make sure of that."

Alex watched this touching scene from outside the ambulance. She was amazed at what a change a sweet little girl could bring about in a tough, hardened detective in such short time. Bobby wasn't the most social person she knew. Heck, he was probably the most _Anti-_social person she knew. But Erica brought out a whole other side of Bobby that Alex had never seen before, a sort of soft side. Maybe it was because Erica was one of the very few who weren't truly afraid of him. He was intense and unconventional in his investigation methods, and just all-around frightening to most people. He was definitely an acquired taste. Or maybe it was because Bobby's father had left his mom, him, and his brother when he was five, and he was just now getting, and giving, the kind of love he missed as a child. He was obviously trying so hard not to follow his father's path, and he was doing a great job of it.

Epilogue

Erica was taken back to Bobby's house to retrieve her things, and as Bobby's window was indisposed, he spent the remaining few hours of night in Erica's guestroom.

James came over immediately the next day to make sure that Erica was alright, and the two set up Erica's Christmas stuff.

Alex and Bobby worked on getting Derek arraigned, and then moved on to the next case.

Enzo is still M.I.A somewhere in Canada, and Erica doesn't really care.

Will James and Erica stay together? Will Erica ever get a job at the police station? (C'mon, you know you wanted her to!) What happened to Derek's twin brother?

Tune in next time to find out!

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Notes: The fight scene is SOOOO much cooler if you listen to 'We will rock you!' by Queen as you read it. Even more so if you can work out the guitar to come in just as Derek sees Bobby's pistol.

The thing about Bobby's father is TRUE! I heard it on an episode of CI! I'm not making it up!

I watch Law and Order: CI waaay too much!

Oh, hey what do you know? That's the end!! I hope you enjoyed it!

Pssst! I started a sequel!


End file.
